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A Sunday service at Witima ACK Church in Othaya was abruptly disrupted when tear gas canisters were fired inside the sanctuary during a visit by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (inset).
The government has withdrawn police from investigating the January 25 criminal attack against worshippers at a church in Nyeri, which forced former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his allies to flee, raising concerns about yet another instance of inaction.
A week after the violence witnessed at Witima Anglican Church in Othaya, in which armed men in plainclothes backed by police vehicles shot live bullets and lobbed teargas to disrupt the church service, and destroyed the former DP's vehicles, there has been no reported questioning of suspects or arrests.
And despite pressure from opposition leaders, including a February 16 ultimatum following a meeting with Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, it has emerged that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has been withdrawn from the probe that has now been referred to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa).
Officials say, given claims of the involvement of rogue officers, police cannot investigate themselves, hence the referral of the case to IPOA, which investigates police misconduct.
Residents scamper for safety after tear gas canisters were lobbed at Witima ACK Church in Nyeri County during a Sunday service that was attended by Rigathi Gachagua on January 25, 2026.
"The investigations have been taken from the DCI and will now be carried out by IPOA …and that is for obvious reasons that we cannot investigate ourselves. The police cannot investigate themselves," Central regional commissioner Mr Joshua Nkanatha said.
Mr Nkanatha told Nation that the incident was unfortunate, "and I'm calling on all formations of public service to aspire to remain apolitical and strive for integrity in their call for duty".
While the reason appears plausible, the implication is that the probe is now narrowed down to a police misconduct inquiry. This means the civilian sponsors of the violence, including some politicians accused of plotting the violence, and their enforcers, hired goons, will walk scot free because IPOA's mandate is limited to police officers.
Critics say this is a scheme to shield government-allied politicians accused of orchestrating the violence, the latest in a string of attacks - opposition has detailed 23 incidents against Mr Gachagua, the DCP leader.
The attack has since been profiled by the United Opposition principals as one that was planned by police and politicians and executed by rogue officers and goons.
Mr Gachagua has dismissed the government's shuffling of cards in the investigations, saying "all along the government was not committed to bringing to book the public/private criminal alliance in the attack".
"I have apt intelligence that the attack had been planned two days earlier in Nairobi in a meeting that involved two senior police officers and three Mt Kenya elected leaders," Mr Gachagua said.
Nation had also been tipped off by a police officer who claimed to have participated in the violence that a team of 15 officers backed by 20 youths under the protection of field police bosses took part in the raid.
Wiper Patriotic Front's boss Mr Kalonzo Musyoka said, "we have lost the investigations to a dalliance of government and crooks where the cover-up is shameless".
Mr Musyoka, who is a senior counsel, said "the sad part is that the government has come out clearly united in impunity where political planners, financiers, goon members and all civilians who facilitated the attack are now off the hook".
According to Mr Timothy Kariuki, an advocate of the High Court, IPOA exclusively investigates police excesses while on official duty, but not civilian-led crimes.
"The attack's footage in the public domain capture crudely armed male members of a gang flanked by armed police in jungle fatigue attacking the church using stones, teargas and live bullets," Mr Kariuki said.
He added that a police patrol car is seen providing the attackers with cover, helping them advance to the proximity of the church as pandemonium breaks out among the worshippers, forcing Mr Gachagua to be evacuated.
Mr Kariuki said, "the investigation variables here are known. They are a civilian gang, rogue police officers and immoral politicians who gang up to attack a place of worship".
A Sunday service at Witima ACK Church in Othaya was abruptly disrupted when canisters of tear gas were deployed in the sanctuary during a visit by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
"If Ipoa is the only retained investigator in this attack, it means the government has admitted some police officers acted criminally, but there will be no investigations targeting politicians and gang members who were part of the common criminal plan," Mr Kariuki argued.
"This is a grand conspiracy where the investigations have been rendered restricted to lay ground for coverup plot," he added.
On Sunday, Mr Kanja, DCI boss Mohamed Amin and Central Region Criminal Investigations Officer Abraham Mugambi did not respond to Nation's inquiries about the latest development.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen (left), Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja (centre), and the NIS Director-General Noordin Haji. Security chiefs are yet to address the case of an attack during a church service attended by former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua (inset).
The government's apparent reluctance to investigate the incident and arrest the perpetrators has been apparent.
Immediately the attack hit news headlines, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki termed it as "unacceptable intolerance that has no place in modern Kenya" and called for immediate investigations.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen urged Mr Kanja to institute immediate investigations and bring to book the perpetrators without fear or favour.
Mr Kanja, through police spokesman Mr Muchiri Nyagah, announced Dr Mugambi had been dispatched to carry out investigations.
But the investigations did not materialise with Mr Murkomen giving another pledge on January 28 while addressing a public meeting in Kirinyaga County. He again made a fresh order that Mr Nkanatha expedite the investigations with a view to arrest and charge the culprits.
But as one wing of the government condemned the attack, another wing of its loyalists was spinning a narrative that Mr Gachagua could have staged the attack to win political sympathy.
This narrative was spiritedly amplified online by government friendly bloggers.
Mathira MP Mr Eric Wamumbi was among those who accused Mr Gachagua and promised to record a police statement, but never did.
Murang'a woman Rep Ms Betty Maina also accused DCP of staging the violence.
On February 1, Mr Gachagua told Nation that "the sad narrative that those government loyalists were peddling was intended to paint a silly picture that police officers, patrol vehicles, police uniform, teargas, guns and bullets are procured from hawkers...even below average minds cannot spin such nonsensical yarns".
Tear gas engulfs parked vehicles after armed goons disrupted a Sunday service at Witima ACK Church in Nyeri County on January 25, 2026.
Trans Nzoia governor Mr George Natembeya told Nation on February 1 that "as a former administrator I can connect the dots...remember I also have friends in security".
Mr Natembeya said, "It is very apparent that the government has been spying on Mr Gachagua, and the attack information that was handed over to the criminal gang was official intelligence briefs."
Mr Natembeya said, "Use of police officers to partner with a criminal gang to attack the church marked one of the worst infiltrations ever in local security agencies".
Former Agriculture CS Mr Mithika Linturi said, "the grand cover-up has it that the government has chosen friendship with criminals to manage its politics, the attacks aimed at creating voter apathy, intimidate opposition and psyche Kenya for a possible Tanzania moment in 2027".
People's Liberation Party's leader Ms Martha Karua said "we are astonished by the sheer guts this government has exhibited in carrying out an intolerant act that even the dictatorship of former president Daniel Arap Moi never attempted".
DAP-K leader Mr Eugene Wamalwa on Saturday told Nation that "we are now living dangerously where the government wants to normalise violence as a competition edge...and in doing so it is ready to welcome criminals into security agencies".
Mr Wamalwa said, "we are in that risky moment where the government is actively hosting outlawed gangs and incorporating them into political operations to spread terror among dissenters".
One of the vehicles that were damaged after armed goons disrupted a Sunday service at Witima ACK Church in Nyeri County on January 25, 2026.
Democratic Party leader Mr Justin Muturi said, "we are now worried that alongside abductions, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, we now have a new challenge of confronting government-backed terror from gangs even in churches".
Former Provincial Commissioner Mr Joseph Kaguthi told Nation that "politics is not a source of sanity, especially if two wings are in combat for high stakes interests".
He said that "this attack on the church was simply stupid, but government politicians are downplaying it because it was attached to an intended gain that backfired".
Mr Kaguthi said, "No professional security officer would condone the attack, but in politics, the government of the day sometimes uses security departments to manage politics".
"This is clearly what happened in the church attack, but things went wrong when the recruited gang became reckless and blasphemous".
Political scientist Mr John Okumu said, "the government wants to manipulate the incident to look as if Mr Gachagua is battling with his own community."
"That the attack is a local affair with nothing to do with national values, which, if you ask me, is a foolish thing to do given that in 2007 local politics in Rift Valley took the current president and his predecessor to the International Criminal Court as suspects".
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